Re: [cjk] texlive svn write access Fw: Re: revisiting ttf2tfm and dvipdfmx

[Hin-Tak Leung]

Werner LEMBERG wrote:
> > > I don't agree at all.  Everybody should either throw away these
> > > broken font files or get them fixed (with a hex editor or
> > > otherwise).
> >
> > That's probably why fewer and fewer people are using TeX. CJK fonts
> > of unusual typefaces are difficult to come by.  Not everybody have
> > the knowledge/know-hows to change these fonts in the necessary way
> > (and minimally).  You are trying to punish users for wanting to do
> > in TeX what they can do with some "easier" typesetting systems.
>
> While I think that Peter's reaction is exaggerated, he has a point.
> (And you too, Hin-Tak :-) However, the `post' problem is harmless and
> shouldn't happen with FreeType 2.

Freetype 2 doesn't complain about those fonts. But it wasn't about freetype 2 vs 
freetype 1. The problem about those fonts happens at the dvi->outcome stage.

The capability of adding new typefaces has always been the weakest part of TeX.
There is small but important difference between "warn about non-compliant fonts 
and abort" and "warn about non-compliant fonts and try to do a best-effort output".

The latter gives the users the option to see some visual output - and I mean, of 
actually seeing the glyphs on a page in relation to an actual intended usage, 
like layout with a design -, and decide whether to spend time to get rid
of the warning, or live with it and ignore it, or abandon the fonts and find 
alternatives.

The former is "screw you for wanting to use TeX".

> > > You should get the current TeX Live svn, build the FreeType 2
> > > Version, and repeat the test with that one.  I have just tried that
> > > for 32bit with no problems.
> >
> > It isn't really my intention to spend more time on this than
> > necessary.  I think this exchange is discouraging enough I don't
> > want to spend time going off in that direction.
>
> Hin-Tak, everything is voluntary work, and Peter does a great job in
> improving *a lot* of stuff within TeXLive.  ttf2tfm is just a small
> part of it, and given that a new version will be available soon, I can
> fully understand that he is not willing to invest time to fix a bug of
> a program which will be soon completely obsolete.

Yes, and remember the beginning of the thread: I asked to spend time fixing a 
few of these issues myself. I am not dying to do that. In any case, all the 
necessary information I have already supplied.

Between the old version which doesn't work quite correctly on some fonts/usage, 
and the new version which doesn't care about some fonts/usage, TeX users are 
screwed.

Hin-Tak